The present invention relates generally to communications networks, and in particular, to communications networks that employ methods to control call looping.
Communications networks often include a variety of subscriber services, such as call forwarding. Although these services offer convenience to subscribers, they also introduce some complexities for service providers. For example, call-forwarding can result in “call looping.” Call looping occurs when a call is forwarded multiple times between endpoints without terminating, and results in wasted resources and trunk congestion. By way of example, consider the situation where the subscriber mistakenly configures his/her service profile such that all incoming calls to his/her mobile number are forwarded unconditionally to his/her landline number, and all incoming calls into his/her landline number are forwarded unconditionally to his/her mobile number. A looped call may occur when a caller dials either number. In these situations, the incoming call merely bounces back and forth between the mobile network and the landline network.
There have been past attempts at detecting and preventing call looping. One method is to impose a hard limit at the switch that specifies the maximum number of simultaneous forwarded calls. Other methods examine message data to detect looped calls. These methods have not been completely successful at eradicating call looping, and further, do not adequately address the question of wasted resources. Moreover, service providers cannot always rely upon the validity of the message data for comparison. Thus, these methods may result in the caller becoming frustrated and the subscriber may never be aware that a problem exists. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system and method of detecting and preventing call looping in communications networks.